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CHAPTER II. 



THE ART OF THE FANCY. 



Quaint Izaak Walton, whose book I dearly 

 love, described angling as a " perfect art." It 

 may be so. He adds, " It is an art worthy 

 the knowledge and practice of a wise man." 

 Perhaps there is a slight suspicion of egotism 

 in what the charming old angler here asserts. 

 Angling is the art of destroying life ; Pigeon- 

 Fancying is the art of propagating life ; and 

 therein I maintain it lifts the crown from off 

 the brow of angling, and places it upon its own 

 meek and inoffensive head. 



Pigeon-breeding is a consummate art. It 

 has been tastefully and truly termed the cultiva- 

 tion of living flowers — the production of living 

 pictures beautiful in form and rich in colour. 

 The Fancier is an artist ; and no artist has 

 attained to perfection in the art. So there is 

 better than a forlorn hope awaiting the young 

 aspirants who have a mind to try their hand at 



